The Hunt for Gollum Will Be Simply One Film, After All

Throughout a current interview with Empire, The Lord of the Rings co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens confirmed Andy Serkis‘s upcoming spinoff film starring his personal breakout motion-capture character, The Hunt for Gollum, will probably be only one film—not two as was previously reported.

“I can inform you definitively it isn’t two movies,” she says. “That was a real misunderstanding that occurred as a result of we’ve begun to work, conceptually, on two totally different live-action movies. The primary being The Hunt For Gollum, the second nonetheless to be confirmed.”

Boyens moreover revealed the timeframe of the Gollum spinoff in relation to The Fellowship of the Ring. “It’s fairly an intense story, which falls after the celebration of Bilbo and earlier than the Mines of Moria. It’s a particular chunk of unimaginable untold story, informed by means of the attitude of this unimaginable creature.”

In the event you recall, the rumor Serkis’ Gollum image could be unfold throughout two feature-length movies originated in an interview with Sir Ian McKellan; his confusion apparently stemmed from a miscommunication with Peter Jackson’s WingNut Movies which has “a number of” concepts for extra initiatives starring Gandalf, in accordance with Boyens. “We’re enjoying round with plenty of concepts, however most of these concepts do embody Gandalf,” she informed Empire. “So Gandalf would probably return for 2 live-action movies. We’ve an absolute banger of a second movie that will simply be unimaginable as an anime. However let’s see if there’s an urge for food for it.”

In case you’ve forgotten, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle of the Rohirrim—an anime fantasy movie directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Patlabor, Ghost within the Shell: Stand Alone Complicated)—is about for a theatrical launch this December 13. Starring Brian Cox because the legendary Helm Hammerhand, the story considerations the previous King of Rohan and his household as they defend their kingdom towards a military of Dunlendings. Relying on how properly that movie does, we might moreover get a follow-up anime starring the 85-year outdated McKellan as Gandalf in a voiceover function.

However that actually begs the query of whether or not the American moviegoing public will probably be desirous about seeing a conventional 2D animated movie—or Serkis’s movie, for that matter, an entire 20 years following the discharge of The Return of the King and 10 years after a Hobbit trilogy largely remembered for its tie-in Denny’s menu. To cite Gandalf himself: “All we have now to determine is what to do with the time that’s given to us.”

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the things you might want to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.